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Back in September I went to see Norm MacDonald perform stand-up at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. It was funny in the way most things that come out of his mouth are funny, but the show was a bit of a shapeless mess. It had that vaguely depressing Spinal-Tap-reunion-tour feeling of deflated expectations. So imagine my excitement (it looks something like this) when I finally got around to watching the premiere of Sports Show with Norm MacDonald, Norm’s news parody show on Comedy Central.

Norm (we’re on a first-name basis, sorry ladies) sets the tone with his signature deadpan sarcasm in the show’s cold open, starting off with a joke about Cameron Diaz wanting boyfriend Alex Rodriguez to star in her new movie: “You can read my review for the flim in “Norm MacDonald’s Suicide Notes.” Wild applause! Roll credits! Next he moved into a Weekend Update-style segment, taking shots at Barry Bonds and Masters Tournament winner Charles Schwartzel. “After the win, Charles Schwartzel said, ‘Charles Schwartzel? Who the hell is Charles Schwartzel?'” It’s the perfect example of a joke that would fall flat on its face if anyone else tried to deliver it. Read more…